


This Is Your World, Not The War

by Star (docfics)



Series: The Basket AU [1]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Basket AU, M/M, Parenthood, Talk of War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 14:14:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19378369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/docfics/pseuds/Star
Summary: "I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, for vengeance, for desolation. War is hell." - William Tecumseh ShermanRodimus and Starscream talk to their child about the war and the future.





	This Is Your World, Not The War

“You are _so_ lucky your sire isn’t here.” Rodimus grumbled, trying his very best to keep the airbrush tool steady as he filled in the scratches in the paint on Eos’ arm. “This is what, the fourth time you’ve come back like this? And you know I’m not the best at bodywork; I usually have Drift--or your sire, now--do mine. But really, what were you doing?

 

Eos shrugged noncommittally and Rodimus held back a sigh.

 

“Well. I don’t mind you getting scuffed up--you’re a kid, after all--but don’t put yourself in a situation you can’t get out of. Just stay sa—“

 

“It’s _boring_ here!” Eos suddenly blurted out, cutting Rodimus off before ducking his head in shame from the outburst. Rodimus stopped mid-painting to tenderly stare down at his sparkling. Eos’ field was radiating shame and frustration, so the airbrush was put aside in favor of Rodimus gently taking his offspring’s chin and tilting it up towards him. Eos resisted for a moment before giving in, choosing instead to convey his unhappiness with a defensive glare. _Just like his sire_ , Rodimus thought, a fond smile tugging at the edges of his mouth despite the troublesome task at hand.

 

“What do you mean, it’s boring? You and your friends are always up to something. If you want to stretch your wings, I’m sure Star could take some time off for the two of you to go to Vos, get a good flight in. Maybe even pick up some more paint while you’re at it…”

 

Eos shook his head furiously, his tiny clawed hands digging into the metal of his knees. This small act of petulance reminded Rodimus of how small Eos still was—just a mechling, even if he acted as though he’d been online for many, many vorns.

 

“Cybertron is boring.” Eos muttered.  “I—I wish I was like you or sire. You used to do so much—your quest, exploring earth, the war and…”

 

Whatever else Eos had said was lost as Rodimus’ spark turned to ice, energon pounding in his audials. Eos was suddenly caught by the shoulder and turned fully to face his creator, whose expression was pained.

 

Eos trailed off, shifting uncomfortably as a sudden silence fell over the room. It stretched on for a moment longer as Rodimus struggled to calm down. Keep the impulsive words from flying out of his mouth. Calm, collected. It’s what Eos needed.

 

“War.” He began, his grip on Eos still firm. “Is not exciting.”

 

Calm and collected he may be, but his child’s stubborn ways were a force to be reckoned with. Eos frowned.

 

“You and sire were both mighty warriors. Sire even killed the _Senate_ , the true bad guys! And you, you fought alongside Optimus Prime! They teach us about him in school, you know. Of course, sire says the teachings favor Autobots, so I do a lot of reading on my own.”

 

“Reading?” Rodimus’ insides still felt tight.

 

“Of course. I want to know everything. About the Autobots _and_ the Decepticons, about what you and sire did in the war—“

 

“ _Eos!_ ” Rodimus’ calm facade shattered and he shook his head vigorously. “This is completely insane. You don’t need to know about all of this! You don’t need to be _involved_ in any of that stuff, or learn about what we did!!”

 

“But I want to!” Eos shot back, face scrunched up in annoyance. “I want to know EVERYTHING! No one ever wants to talk about the war, but I bet it was so cool fighting alongside your friends! I wish it would happen again!”

 

“No, you don’t.” Rodimus felt like screaming, but he resisted the urge, taking Eos’ hand despite the mechling’s petulant glare. 

 

“Eos, I know things around here can seem boring and the war sounds like this awesome fraggin’ story.” Eos raised an eyebrow at the swear. Rodimus ignored him and kept talking. “But it’s not. At any moment, a mech could die. _Your friends_ could die. Can you imagine how you’d feel if something happened to Swiftstrike? It would be awful. I would _never_ want to see you have to go through that. And what happens if you pick a side and your friend chooses the opposite...”

 

Eos’ expression fell slightly as doubt crept into his optics. Rodimus saw this, and felt a pang of sympathy for his offspring as he pressed on. “Sometimes you have to do awful things to stay alive. Things you’ll never forget.”

 

Eos tilted his head up to give Rodimus an intent stare. “Creator, did you...do things you didn’t want to?”

 

Rodimus bit his lip, dozens of unwanted memories rising up in his processor. He felt frozen, the whole situation making him feel as if his spark was being squeezed too tight.

 

It was then—as he tried to find the right words to describe the horrors he’d witnessed—that he was rescued by the _tap tap tap_  sound of approaching thrusters. Rodimus looked up and in came his saving grace, beautiful white wings spread and red optics bright with curiosity.

 

“Well, well. What is going on here?” Starscream questioned, gaze drifting between the two intently. It was obvious he could read the tension in their fields, if not their strained expressions.

 

Rodimus and Eos both turned to him, speaking over one another in a flurry of words.

 

“The war—”

“—being unfair! Creator keeps saying—”

“—and that’s that!”

 

Starscream’s wings flicked in agitation, and his already high-pitched voice rose to nearly a screech as he commanded “ _HUSH!_ ”

 

Both Rodimus and Eos froze with their mouths half open.

 

“One at a time.” Starscream ordered, which Rodimus found a bit hypocritical coming from the guy who just yesterday was pounding a table and _screaming_ over Prowl and Windblade. He kept this thought to himself, however, as  Eos began to speak. 

 

Starting with soft mutters, the sparkling began speaking with more and more passion as he went on, before concluding with one final emotional point—that by missing the war, he missed his only opportunity to do something great and heroic.

 

“I see.” Starscream said, slowly crossing his arms as his and Eos’ optics met. “You make a good point, Eos. The war was often a place to use your skills, to make a name for yourself. It was a horrific, beautiful thing at times—exhilarating and terrifying all at once.”

 

Eos perked up a little, much to Rodimus’ dismay, but before he could speak, Starscream raised a single, perfectly manicured claw. “ _But!_ I would never want to endure it again.”

 

“But you just said…!” Eos sputtered.

 

“I know what I said. But just because you experienced something once doesn’t mean you want to do it again. And think of this.” Starscream’s optics flickered as he gazed down at his offspring. “If something had gone wrong in that war—I may have killed your creator.”

 

For the sake of the point, Rodimus resisted the urge to mention he totally could have taken down Starscream as well.

 

Eos chewed slowly on his lip, bright optics glued to the floor as he processed this information. Rodimus noticed the faint blue in the glowing optics—which Eos got from him—and the way they tapered off to a narrow point. Like Starscream.

 

Who he now couldn’t imagine living without. Rodimus looked up at Starscream, and was surprised to see the stern expression on his face was replaced with a pained one. The Seeker knelt down and took Eos’ free servo in his own. The mechling clutched it tight, and Rodimus saw the battling emotions flickering through his expression.

 

“Eos. I will not lie to you—I was different during the war. I did many, many things that mechs will never forget.” Starscream sniffed a little haughtily, but Rodimus picked up a faint tinge of regret from behind the bot’s proud facade. “I won’t linger on that; my feelings about it are too complicated. My point is—you have a chance to live a normal life. To not have your past cast a shadow over your future.”

 

Eos stared up at Starscream, and Rodimus could see that he was trying to understand. He was glad the Seeker was the one explaining this, however, as Starscream’s words carried a certain weight that Rodimus couldn’t match.

 

Rodimus had regrets. Starscream once said he had _sins._ And while they handled their guilt differently, and while Starscream perhaps didn’t always miss the war—Rodimus knew the Seeker wanted the same for Eos as he did.

 

He knew because he felt his spark _clench_ with a rush of emotions as Starscream suddenly swept Eos up—letting their offspring bury his face, his now-conflicted feelings into Starscream’s chest—and crossed the floor holding him, taking him over to the balcony they had built into Eos’ bedroom. Rodimus stood, walking closer but not too close, so as to let the ex-Decepticon have a rare moment of nurturing.

 

“My darling.” Starscream murmured, stroking between Eos’ wings before gently lifting his chin to look out over the balcony. “The world isn’t boring. You’re just young, and restless. It’s in your coding to do and find great things.”

 

Eos made a disgruntled noise. “I would fight really well. I would protect everyone.”

 

Starscream hummed softly, swaying slowly as he and Eos gazed out over Cybertron. “That is impossible. Focus on the mechs in your life now—they are the ones you should protect.”

 

Rodimus watched, near-hypnotized as Starscream’s subtle swaying, gentle strokes and unusually soft words had Eos practically melting against him, the sparkling’s optics half-shuttered as he considered his sire’s words.

 

“One day—when Cybertron is flourishing again, when you are older—we will take you among the stars. We’ll visit faraway planets, find treasure and make memories together—but you must be patient.” Starscream kissed Eos’ helm, so soft that Rodimus felt he could cry.

 

“One day, we’ll give you the world and more.” Starscream whispered, and because Eos was young, he may not have recognized the weight behind those words—but Rodimus _knew_ both him and Starscream. They were passionate mechs and Eos would grow up to be something amazing, with plenty of exciting opportunities.

 

Eos’ optics had fluttered shut, and he was venting softly in and out. Rodimus snuck over, sidling up to Starscream. The seeker looked at him, his expression a rare kind of tender. Rodimus felt his spark jump.

 

“Thank you.” He whispered, reaching a servo out to rest on Starscream’s back, between his wings. Starscream merely hummed and smiled, pressing closer to Rodimus, as both of them looked out at Cybertron, and Eos’ future.

 

**Author's Note:**

> this is the first part of me and friend's self indulgent au..the "Basket AU" which is a canon divergent IDW story with different endings for characters, lots of poly relationships and a big focus on the kids of these relationships.
> 
> This one starts off the series with a little look into Rodimus and Starscream's relationship with their firstborn, Eos.


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